Opinion

In a summer in which the ongoing extreme drought has proved so damaging to New Mexico farmers and ranchers, the importance of having long-term weather forecasts warning us in advance of dangerous drought conditions is clear.

Given this recent history, and New Mexico’s need for accurate forecasts of severe summer storms and winter blizzards, this isn’t the time to cut funding for national weather forecasting satellite assets.

Unfortunately, that is exactly what will happen unless Congress works with the White House to repeal mandatory budget cuts scheduled to hit federal programs in 2013. These…

In a summer dominated by the High Park and Waldo Canyon fires, the need to have long-term weather forecasts providing advanced warning of dangerous drought conditions is painfully clear. Also, given that Coloradans need to be on constant alert for severe summer storms and winter blizzards, it’s hard to imagine a worse time to cut funding for weather satellites.

But this will happen unless Congress repeals mandatory budget cuts scheduled to hit federal programs in 2013. These “sequestration” cuts may lead to a $182 million reduction for NOAA’s weather satellite program — increasing what is already…

During a summer in which the ongoing drought has proved so devastating to South Dakota farmers and ranchers, the importance of long-term weather forecasts warning us in advance of dangerous drought conditions is painfully clear. Given this recent history, and the need for accurate forecasts of severe summer storms and winter blizzards, this isn’t the time to cut funding for national weather forecasting satellite assets.

Unfortunately, that is exactly what will happen unless Congress works with the White House to repeal mandatory budget cuts scheduled to hit federal programs in 2013. These “sequestration” cuts may lead…

<p> Nowhere in America has the impact of severe weather been more harmful to communities and families than in Louisiana. One analysis conducted for Kiplinger.com found that property damage &mdash; largely from Hurricane Katrina &mdash; caused the state $32.2 billion in property losses from 2002 to 2011.</p> <p> And in 2012, we are just weeks into a summer that has already spawned devastating storms, floods, wildfires and heat waves across the nation.</p> <p> It&#39;s hard to imagine a less opportune time to cut funding for weather forecasting. Yet that is exactly what…

We are just weeks into a summer that has already spawned devastating storms, floods, wildfires and heat waves across the nation (“Extreme drought rapidly intensifies in swaths of U.S.”) It’s hard to imagine a less opportune time to cut funding for weather forecasting.

Yet that will happen unless Congress repeals mandatory budget cuts scheduled to hit federal programs 2013. These “sequestration” cuts include a $182 million reduction for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather satellite programs. With this devastating cut, development of a new generation of weather satellites would be delayed, risking an increase…